NWA Wildside
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| Acronym | NWA: Wildside |
|---|---|
| Founded | September 1999 |
| Defunct | April 2005 |
| Style | American Wrestling |
| Headquarters | Cornelia, Georgia |
| Founder(s) | Steve Martin |
| Owner(s) | Bill Behrens |
| Formerly | National Championship Wrestling NWA Georgia |
NWA Wildside was an American independent professional wrestling promotion based in Cornelia, Georgia, with an office in Atlanta, Georgia, operating between September 1999 and April 2005.
While in operation, NWA Wildside was one of the main affiliates of the National Wrestling Alliance, a group that dates back to 1948. It was one of the most-watched independent promotions in the United States.
History
Wildside was originally named National Championship Wrestling in 1997 and was owned by Steve Martin, who often made appearances on the wrestling card. In December 1999 NCW merged with NWA Georgia to form NWA Wildside under the ownership of Bill Behrens.
WCW development territory
World Championship Wrestling hired NWA Wildside to serve as its development territory, and sent their Power Plant wrestlers like Shannon Moore, Jamie Noble, Sean O'Haire, Mark Jindrak and Elix Skipper to compete in the company.
Soon, World Championship Wrestling hired several NWA Wildside talent for their shows including A.J. Styles and Frank "Air" Paris, with other wrestlers such as Onyx, David Young and Rick Michaels appearing on World Wrestling Federation tapings.
With the establishment of Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, various NWA Wildside stars such as Styles, Abyss (Prince Justice), Young, Onyx, Slim J, Hotstuff Hernandez, Jason Cross, Jimmy Rave, Altar Boy Luke, Matt Sydal, Delirious, and Tony Mamaluke appeared for the company.
Distinction from other independent promotions
Wildside's weekly one-hour TV show aired nationally and was available to as much as 40% of the United States at its peak.
In late 2004, Wildside was broadcast by The Wrestling Channel in the United Kingdom giving them a transatlantic audience.
Two of the main attractions of Wildside were the fact that their wrestlers were allowed to be more creative in the ring, and the announcers - Dan Wilson and Steven Prazak - gave a legitimacy to the product rather than treating it as a joke.
Demise
In April 2005, NWA Wildside closed down, after producing 300 consecutive weeks of television, as a result of owner Behrens accepting a job with World Wrestling Entertainment. He then worked with Jody Hamilton, the owner of Deep South Wrestling, a former WWE developmental territory located in McDonough, Georgia.
Behrens left DSW after getting the promotion ready to produce TV but before TV production began due to creative differences with Hamilton, and was employed by TNA as Director of Third Party Bookings.
Wildside was replaced by NWA Anarchy, a promotion operating in the same arena using similar talent.
Championships
Champions listed are the final champions in Wildside.
- NWA Wildside Heavyweight Championship — Onyx
- NWA Wildside Junior Heavyweight Championship — Slim J.
- NWA Wildside Tag Team Championship — Iceberg and Tank
- NWA Wildside Television Championship — Brandon P
- NWA Wildside United States Heavyweight Championship — Skeeter Frost
Notable alumni
Some notable alumni of NWA Wildside include:
Note: Names are listed in alphabetical order of their ring name. Not their real last name.
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